My Strength and Greatest Weakness
by Blue Ten
Summary: A night at the fair brings Robin and Starfire closer than ever, but when a man calling himself Fear shows up, things start to go horribly wrong. Read for full summary. RobStar. FINISHED!
1. A Glorious Morning

My Strength, and Greatest Weakness

by Blue Ten

Summary:

Jump City has been quiet on the crime front for the past few months and the Titan's are starting to get restless. Starfire tries her best to raise the Titan's spirits, even after Slade meets a rather pointless death. A night at the fair brings Robin and Starfire closer than ever. But when a man calling himself Fear shows up, things start to go horribly wrong. RobinxStarfire.

Disclaimer:

I do not own Teen Titans, if I did, I'd be rich!

* * *

Chapter 1: A Glorious Morning

The morning sun's light shone brightly on the sea, causing the surface to light up and sparkle like a million dancing diamonds on the horizon. Sunrise, the promise of a new day. A tower set apart from the large city, split the sun's rays casting long shadows through a mid-morning haze. Titan's Tower. A figure stood alone on the rooftop, facing the light. Robin had always been thought of as focused, serious and determined, his mind always on his work. The tough and unflinching leader of a band of heroes. This was the picture he painted to fool the world, sometimes even trying to fool himself. Even so, he still woke up early every morning to admire the beauty of the sunrise on the rooftop.

There was one person, however, that never failed to see through his tough exterior. This person always managed to bring out the side of Robin that he hid behind the painting. Little did he know, she had come to join him on this morning.

_'It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen...'_ he thought to himself, words he would never let escape his mouth, of course. His mind began to wander, the word _beautiful _seemed to bring something to the front of his thoughts. _'Scratch that, it's the second most beautiful thing you've ever seen... a thousand sunrises couldn't compare to s--'_

"A glorious morning is it not?" However soft and melodic the voice was, Robin was so startled, he nearly fell off the roof. Regaining his composure, he looked at Starfire, and lost it again. His face grew warm and red when he realized the person he was thinking about, had been standing right next to him. Starfire noticed the scene Robin had just made and suddenly looked worried, "Are you okay robin? Are you feeling the altitude sickness?" She lightly placed her hand on his forehead and gasped, "You are warm! I did not know altitude sickness produced fevers!"

"I'm not, and it doesn't," He managed to let out a nervous chuckle, still trying to fight the blush from his face. "It's just that I didn't expect anyone else to be up this early, so you kinda startled me." He said, finally calming down. It was a lie of course, only **she** had control over his heart rate.

"Oh! I am sorry. Do forgive me." Starfire replied apologetically.

"Huh--Of course." Robin said quickly, not expecting an apology. "So... What are you doing up here?" he continued, trying hard not to sound like he was prodding.

"Well, if it is okay. I have come to admire the waking of the sun with you." Starfire said sweetly as a smile graced her face. Robin loved to see her happy, how could he say no? He nodded and they both sat on the edge of the tower. Robin was never good at light conversation, but he always seemed to open up around her. They began to talk about nothing in particular, Starfire always had questions about Earth and Robin always had answers. Lost in each other's words, both forgot about the sun as it continued to pave its path through the sky. Robin loved how her eyes lit up when she was learning something new, it was times like these when he knew he really had her attention, and he reveled in it. He barely noticed how close they were sitting, just barely.

Cyborg stood in the doorway to the rooftop as he had been for several minutes, a sly smirk on his face. Cyborg sighed loudly so Robin and Starfire, but mostly Robin, could hear him, "HOW CUTE!" He said jokingly, "I was gonna tell you breakfast was ready... But maybe I should leave you two **alone **for a while, hm?" He mocked, raising an eyebrow, he and Beastboy loved messing with Robin about this. Robin could feel his neck muscles tensing, and his face heating up, he couldn'tdecidewhether he was embarrassed, orangry.Starfire looked a little confused, and robin shot a deathglare at Cyborg. Cyborg proceeded to make kissy faces until a birdarang hit him in the head.

_'Breakfast?' _Robin thought, _'Have we been up here **that **long?'_

"Ah, breakfast! Thank you friend Cyborg, for I am ravenous this morning!" Starfire said as she shot up from her perch and flew down the stairs. Robin, dissappointed and dumbfounded, still glared at Cyborg. Starfire peeked her head back up the stairwell, "Robin? Are you not coming?" she wondered. Robin snapped out of it and made his way to the door. Cyborg, who had just recovered from the hit, saw Robin walking towards him and instinctively placed his arms infront of his face as though he were about to get punched. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Robin and Starfire walking down the stairs together, smiles on their faces.

_'OK, that's the last time I do that.' _Cyborg thought to himself.

Later, in the main room. "So where were they?" Beastboy questioned Cyborg, a plate of tofu waffles infront of him.

"Oh they were just on the roof... Y'know..." Having completely forgotten about his previous thought, Cyborg made the faces again. Smooch Smooch. Kissy Kissy. Birdarang. This caused Beastboy to spit out his food laughing. Raven snickered, Robin pretended he didn't throw anything, and Starfire was too busy scarfing down waffles and mustard to notice anything.

- - - - - -

The tension in the common room grew as all eyes were focused on the large screen. Teeth gritted. Fists clenched. Minutes turned into hours. Finally the clock struck noon and the Titans breathed a sigh of relief and dissappointment. It had been months since the alarm had gone off, months since they had foiled anything more than a simple robbery. The Titans hated to admit it, but they needed crime. If they had successfully rooted evil out of Jump City, then they were successfully rooted out of a job.

Several hours later, Beastboy stood in the common room staring at the vacant Gamestation, he realized he had no desire to play it as he had exhausted the replay value of every game they owned, over the past few months. Cyborg held the remote in his hand, a dark circle under his human eye. Raven levitated in her corner of the room, reading a book, she didn't voice it, but she had never been more bored in her entire life. Robin sat at the kitchen table restlessly tapping his fingers on the counter. Starfire sat across from him, feeding Silkie the 'leftover' tofu waffles. Robin wondered how she could stay so calm, she wore a smile all morning. It calmed his spirit to know that at least one of them wasn't affected by the crime drought. He stopped tapping his fingers.

Still a little on edge, Robin sat up, "I'm gonna go train... or something." He said.

"Ugh.", "Yeh...", "Uh, Huh..." Cyborg, Beastboy, and Raven answered in unison, not taking their eyes away from their respective objects of boredom. Just then, the alarm broke the moment like a sledghammer through glass. The Titans stared in disbelief as a map of the city lit up the screen. Robin was still a little skeptical, "What is it, another hold up at the local convenience store?" He directed his sarcastic question to Cyborg, who was standing right next to the monitor.

"Even better... It's Slade."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Dun Dun Dunnnnnnnn! What has caused Slade to resurface after so long? Will Silkie die of tofu poisoning? Like a sledgehammer through glass... What the hell was that? I was running low on similies, so sue me. :) Smilies. 

But seriously, I realize this was a pretty short chapter, however it's the first of many if you people approve of it. It's also my first fanfic.

R&R fellow Titan fanatics, R&R... No not that kind of R&R.

**Next Chapter Preview:** Slade is on the run from the police force. As if this wasn't hard enough for the Titans to believe, they soon find that he has become scared out of his mind. Will they be able to handle fighting their arch enemy in this state? Stay tuned for Chapter 2: A Fallen Nemesis.


	2. A Fallen Nemesis

My Strength, and Greatest Weakness

by Blue Ten

Summary:

Jump City has been quiet on the crime front for the past few months and the Titan's are starting to get restless. Starfire tries her best to raise the Titan's spirits, even after Slade meets a rather pointless death. A night at the fair brings Robin and Starfire closer than ever. But when a man calling himself Fear shows up, things start to go horribly wrong. RobinxStarfire.

Disclaimer:

I do not own Teen Titans, but I can dream, can't I?

* * *

Chapter 2: A Fallen Nemesis

Slade. The Titans didn't know whether to rejoice, or curse themselves for wanting the alarm to sound. After so long without hearing anything about their other enemies, so many days spent waiting in the common room for even something small to pop up, it was beyond ironic that the first person to sound the alarm in over three months, would be their greatest enemy.

"So what is he doing?" Robin asked Cyborg, anxious to enter the fray once more.

"I don't know, apparently the police have him on the run, and they need us to help take him down." Cyborg replied, a little anxious himself.

"Wait... What? The **police **have him on the run?" Robin, wore the same look of disbelief as everyone else, in response to Cyborg's statement.

"I know, somethin' doesn't smell right about this... could be a trap." Cyborg said, his eyes fixed on the blinking 'S' on the screen.

"Then we should keep our eyes open." Robin said quickly, "Alright, no time to waste. Titan's move!" _'That felt good'_ he thought to himself as they all rushed from the tower.

- - - - - -

Clouds were beginning to gather, a storm was approaching, and The streets of central Jump City were empty. If not for the increasing lightning frequency, or the street lamps lining the parallel sides of the road, night would have envoloped the entire scene. A sudden flash of illumination, as a man dressed in black and silver clothing, who donned a peculiar mask, rushed down the street followed farther behind by several police cars. Slade was running through the vacant streets. Police cars, helicopters, SWAT teams, the entire police force had shown up to chase him. He breathed heavily, sweating under his mask as he made his escape. As he reached an intersection, a blockade came into front view; there were armored cars behind him, any officer with a weapon, had it at the ready, Slade was boxed in. Slade stopped for a split second, frantically searching his surroundings for an escape route. A dark alley to his left, he made a quick decision and bolted for it, the shadows would provide the perfect cover.

- - - - - -

The Titans were all in the T-Car, making sure that they would reach their destination as a group, realizing that they would need everyone, to take on Slade. At the wheel, Cyborg was driving at full speed, while Robin, in the passenger seat, directed him using the map on his communicator which gave a readout of Slade's current position. Beastboy, Raven, and Starfire sat in the back, unsure of what to expect.

"Cyborg, he's heading south now! If we hurry, we can cut him off through this alley!" Robin pointed to the map. "Quick, take this left!"

"Hold on! It's about to get a little turbulent!" Cyborg understated as he swerved the car left into an area behind a building, where he immediately hit the breaks. "Uh, you guys alright back there?" he asked. He took their green faces as a no, however he couldn't tell with Beastboy.

The Titans got out of the car, with the alley in clear view, they hurried for it. It was dark, and the last thing the Titans wanted to do, was be alone in theshadows with Slade. Starfire charged her starbolts.

- - - - - -

Barely halfway through the alley, Slade noticed a familiar green glow suddenly illuminate the path infront of him, _'Damn it! Not now!' _he thought. Slade came to a halt infront of the Titans, who were more than ready for a fight.

"We were hoping to cut you off on the street, but this will do fine." Robin spoke confidently.

Slade's eye narrowed, "Get away from me!" he roared.

Robin couldn't believe what he had just heard, neither could the rest of the Titans. No arrogant response, no mocking laughter. Robin examined him closer, Slade was shaking, his breathing, labored. He seemed cornered, out of options, almost, afraid. What could possibly cause Slade, of all people, to act this way, what was he afraid of?

"Dude, that is Slade... Right?" Beastboy asked, facing Robin while pointing at Slade, a blank look on his face. Robin didn't answer, still trying to understand what was going on.

"I said get away from me! NOW--" Slade cut himself off, and looking down, brought a hand over his heart, he looked at his trembling hand which was now covered in blood. Slade collapsed, revealing a young police officer who had been standing behind him, he held a gun in his hand and a look of horror on his face. Slade writhed in pain on the ground, pressing his hand against his wound, hacking and coughing. Slade sounded like he was trying to speak, but only a grating, raspy breath seemed to escape his mouth. He struggled more and managed to fight out two words, "F-Fear... Him..." Slade choked on his utterance, and finally let out a death rattle. As the Titans relaxed their fighting stances, Cyborg walked over to Slade and checked his pulse, "He's dead."

Robin glared at the police officer, ran up to him, grabbed him by the collar, and slammed him up against the wall.

"Who are you to decide if he lives or dies!" Robin demanded, suprised to find himself defending his arch enemy's right to live.

"I-I panicked! I didn't know what he was going to do!" The boy responded shakily. Angered further by this response, Robin pushed him harder against the wall. A flash of lightining followed by a thunder clap seemed to happen at the precise moment Robin did this.

"That's no excuse! You--" Robin stopped as Starfire put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a sympathetic look.

"Robin, he was afraid. Just as... Slade had been." she said, a tone of sadness in her voice. She was right.

The officer shot a quick glance at Starfire, "..." he struggled.

Robin loosened his grip and dropped the officer, who then got up and nearly tripped over himself, awkwardly running out of the alley. _'Coward.'_ Robin thought as he watched the boy leave. Robin turned to Starfire, "Sorry Star, I didn't mean to..." he trailed off, thinking about what he might have done, had he let his anger get the best of him, had she not been there to stop him.

"There is no need for apologies Robin, I can understand why you would feel that way." she responded, keeping her hand on his shoulder.

"Robin," Cyborg called his attention, "If you ever want to know who he really is, now's your chance." he continued, stepping away from Slade's body, knowing that if anyone would unmask him, it should be Robin.

The clouds that loomed overhead suddenly let loose a downpour of rain, the water began washing Slade's blood into a sewer grate; Robin watched this and it sickened him to his stomach. Robin walked closer to Slade's body, taking his steps slowly, his eyes trained on the mask. He knelt down, placed his hand on the mask, and fixed it back into place, as it had become loose when Slade fell. "No, I think I've seen enough tonight." he said, standing up, "Let's go home."

That morning, Robin slept through the sunrise.

* * *

**Author's Note:** A quick chapter. It's really just meant to be an in-between that gives a certain something to the next chapter. However, I liked how Robin turned out in this one, it was very... Robin.

I realized that I should release a few more chapters before I expect any real reviews. I apologize for my rude behavior.

**Next Chapter Preview:** In the wake of Slade's quick and pointless death, the Titans find themselves questioning their role in the events that led up to it. But Starfire convinces them that no one was to blame. To cheer them up, she reminds them of the fair they go to every year. Things get a little fluffier in Chapter 3: Our Silver Lining.


	3. Our Silver Lining

My Strength, and Greatest Weakness

by Blue Ten

Summary:

Jump City has been quiet on the crime front for the past few months and the Titan's are starting to get restless. Starfire tries her best to raise the Titan's spirits, even after Slade meets a rather pointless death. A night at the fair brings Robin and Starfire closer than ever. But when a man calling himself Fear shows up, things start to go horribly wrong. RobinxStarfire.

Disclaimer:

I do not own Teen Titans. Teen Titans owns me!

Chapter 3: Our Silver Lining

* * *

Guilt weighed heavily on the Titans' shoulders, they had wanted the alarm to sound, in part, they felt responsible. It was the second time they had watched Slade die, but the first time was more of an accident, this was different. This, was murder. The fact that Slade had fought his way through hell to find his soul, and even aided the Titans in saving the world, only to die again shortly after, made it even worse.

The Titans sat in the main room as they had the day before, remorse in place of boredom. He was their greatest enemy, the utmost threat to the safety of the city, and yet they were saddened by his passing. Such an anticlimactic and meaningless death, they wouldn't wish it on anyone, even Slade. A death in which the mind is consumed by fear, the worst kind of death.

"Friends, we should not blame ourselves for what happened." Starfire suddenly broke the silence, everyone turned their attention to her.

"I know Star, it's just that--" Robin started.

"She's right Robin, no one could have stopped it from happening." Raven interrupted, she wanted to believe her own words, but still felt guilty. Robin looked at the floor. They were right, what could he have possibly done to prevent it, what could anyone have done?

"I cannot stand to see my friends this way... We should always hold on to what makes us happiest, even in the shadow of dark moments. Please friends, do not allow what has transpired to break your spirits." Starfire was holding back tears as she spoke. The Titans looked around at each other, after hearing Starfire's words they realized that although Slade's death seemed pointless, it is in the past, a memory, and it cannot be changed. They now understood that this experience was something to gain strength from, a reason to press on, and never let go of hope and happiness. The weight had been lifted. Everyone's face lit up with smiles, even Raven's.

"Thanks Star." they said in unison. Starfire giggled, wiping the tears from her eyes. It was amazing how a few simple words could mend the deepest wounds.

"Well what are we moping around here for? We should be doing something fun!" Cyborg exclaimed as he stood up from the couch, feeling rejuvenated.

"Yeah! Let's Go! ...Uh, where are we going?" Beastboy asked as he shot up from moping position. Raven rolled her eyes at this, but inwardly she was laughing.

"Actually, if you are feeling up to it, I thought we could go to the moving park of amusement. We have gone this time every year, and we should not break tradition." Starfire suggested, now back to her normal, cheery self. The rest of the Titans stared at each other, in their previous state they had forgotten all about it, even though they had gone every year. The room erupted in cheers and smiles. Starfire giggled and clapped her hands together. Robin could only gaze at her in amazement. She had always been the team's silver lining, the one to look to when trying to find the bright side of things. But she meant so much more to him.

"How 'bout some dinner before we go?" Cyborg proposed, walking to the kitchen.

"Great! I'll get the tofu!" Beastboy added and ran to the fridge.

"BB, we wanna fill our stomachs, not empty them out." Cyborg mocked. The tofu-meat debate continued. Robin, Starfire, and Raven could hardly contain their laughter. Things really had returned to normal.

- - - - - -

Situated in Jump City's main park, a central park of sorts, the fair lit up the starry night sky like, well, like a carnival. The ferris wheel, the food, all the games and attractions, so much to do, and all the time in the world. For once the Titans were glad the crime level had dropped, there would be no distractions this time, they could stay until the fair closed. Robin was especially thankful for this, as he wanted to ask Starfire to watch the fireworks with him on the ferris wheel.

All the Titans had separated, finding there own things to do. Beastboy was hanging around the snack stands, annoying the people behind the counters with his questions about tofu-alternatives, as well as trying to impress the ladies with his 'quick wit' and 'sense of humor'. Cyborg was busy winning every game and contest at every booth. Raven was having fun, watching Beastboy make a fool of himself. The fireworks would start in a few minutes, and Robin was searching for Starfire.

A crowd of people had gathered around Starfire who was holding a large wooden mallet. She raised it high in the air and swung it down fast. The crowd's collective jaw dropped as they watched the bell on the strength tester break in half and fall to the ground. At this point Starfire was unsure as to whether or not she had done something wrong, until the crowd issued a round of applause. Robin chuckled, "Hey Star!" he yelled above the crowd, waving her over. Consequently, all the young girls who had been in the crowd turned to see Robin, and with a collective gasp, began to swarm around him, asking for autographs, among other things. Robin was caught off guard and started looking a little nervous. Starfire noticed this and quickly pushed her way through the fangirls. Wrapping her arm around his, she managed to walk Robin out of the swarm, the majority of which was now crying. Relieved, Robin let out the breath he had been holding in, "Thanks Star." he said, noticing she hadn't unlocked their arms yet.

"It was, how you say, my pleasure." she replied, grinning innocently. Starfire looked back at the girls who were watching them walk away, some were now glaring at her, "You are quite popular, yes?" she asked.

"Well, we are the city's heroes. I guess were kinda like celebrities." he replied, trying to avoid the fact that most of the girls were attempting to steal kisses and/or ask for dates. Robin noticed that they were walking in the direction of the ferris wheel, _'Did she already want to go with me?'_ he wondered.

"Hey Star, I was wondering... Would you like to watch the fireworks with me on the ferris wheel?" Robin asked, trying hard not to let his voice crack.

Starfire's eyes widened, "Oh yes! That would be most wonderful!" she replied enthusiastically. Robin then let out another breath he had been holding in. The night had gone perfectly, so far.

Robin opened the half-door to the ferris wheel seat and Starfire sat down. Robin, attempting not to imply anything, tried not to sit too close to her, difficult as it was. The ferris wheel began turning as soon as the fireworks started. Starfire watched the fireworks intently, an open-mouthed smile on her face, with every new burst of color in the sky. She loved the fireworks ever since the first time she had seen them, on this very same ferris wheel, with Robin. The fireworks were spectacular as usual, but Robin couldn't take his eyes off her.

- - - - - -

Cyborg walked over to where Beastboy was still 'impressing' his fans.

"Hey BB, can I tear you away from your adoring public for a while?" Cyborg asked sarcastically.

"In a minute, I'm on a roll here." he replied, oblivious.

"Aw c'mon, I've got a plan, and it's a good one." Cyborg whispered his plan to Beastboy.

Beastboy fell over laughing, "That _is_ a good one!" he said holding his sides.

Cyborg began pulling Beastboy away, who was still laughing hysterically on the ground. The girls who Beastboy had been talking to, turned to each other and giggled. Seeing Cyborg and Beastboy walk away, Raven followed them to make sure that they weren't going to stir up too much trouble, but when she saw what they were planning, she found herself suprisingly supportive of it.

"I can't wait to see the looks on their faces!" Beastboy said.

- - - - - -

"Hey Star?" Robin asked. He hated to break her attention away from the sky, but he really wanted to talk to her.

"Yes?" Starfire responded as she turned to him, the same cute smile on her face. This relieved Robin quite a bit, he was afraid he would annoy her by interrupting.

Robin nervously scratched the back of his head, "I wanted to... thank you, for cheering us up, and reminding us about the fair. I'd hate to think about what we'd be doing right now if it hadn't been for you..." not quite what he was going for, but it worked.

"Robin, there is no need for--" she replied, being modest.

"No, no, it has to be said," he continued, giving her a smile, "I just want you to know... you're very important to m--the team." Robin mentally slapped himself for almost letting that slip.

"Oh, Robin." Starfire said, her eyes were shiny, she looked like she was about to cry. Suddenly, something went wrong, or... just right. The ferris wheel came to a stop, and Robin and Starfire were at the very top, with a perfect view of the fireworks.

"Stay calm, we should have this fixed in about an hour!" a man yelled from the ground. Robin and Starfire could hear the other passengers groaning about this, however, _they_ couldn't be happier. As the fireworks wound their way up to the finale, Starfire moved closer to Robin, he swore he could hear his heart pounding in his chest. She wrapped both her arms around his left, and rested her head on his shoulder, "You are very important to me as well." she whispered, still watching the fireworks.

- - - - - -

Returning home, the Titans opened the door to the common room, dead tired. Beastboy, too tired to find his room, collapsed on the couch. Raven levitated to her room, falling asleep on the way, somehow she managed to make it to her bed.

Robin, Starfire, and Cyborg stood near the door, stretching and yawning. Cyborg turned his attention to Robin and Starfire, "So, you two have a nice time up there?" he asked with a sly tone, obviously referring to the ferris wheel. A quickly muffled laugh could be heard from where Beastboy was.

"Yes! It was most nice!" Starfire responded happily.

"Yeah, why?" Robin replied, in too good of a mood to let Cyborg mess with him.

"No reason," Cyborg said, another laugh was muffled from Beastboy's position. "Well, I better go recharge before I shutdown right here, 'night." he continued as he made his way to his room.

"Goodnight friend Cyborg. Goodnight Robin." She smiled as she yawned and flew off to her room. Robin caught her on her way in.

"Star... if you're not too tired, could you meet me on the roof tomorrow? There's something I've been wanting to tell you." Robin tried to keep his face from turning red while he spoke.

"Of course. I shall." She answered, wondering what it could be that he wanted to tell her. She knew what she wished it was. "Pleasant dreams." she said as she entered her room, a hopeful smile on her face.

Robin had thought about this for a long time. He knew he had feelings for her, but until tonight, he hadn't realized how strong those feelings were. _'I've made my decision,' _he thought, _'I'll tell her tomorrow and hope she feels the same way'_. He cringed at the thought of Starfire rejecting him and wiped it from his mind. Then, he thought about how she had held onto him on the ferris wheel. _'Maybe she does feel the same way.' _a hopeful smile spread across his face.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This was my longest chapter yet and I'll try to keep future chapters at a similar length.

Also, I'd like to send a special thanks to the people who reviewed. You give me a reason to keep writing.

**Next Chapter Preview:** Robin wants to confess his feelings to Starfire. But after a strange dream, will his plans go off without a hitch? Find out in Chapter 4: Taken.


	4. Taken

My Strength, and Greatest Weakness

by Blue Ten

Summary:

Jump City has been quiet on the crime front for the past few months and the Titan's are starting to get restless. Starfire tries her best to raise the Titan's spirits, even after Slade meets a rather pointless death. A night at the fair brings Robin and Starfire closer than ever. But when a man calling himself Fear shows up, things start to go horribly wrong. RobinxStarfire.

Disclaimer:

I do not own Teen Titans. But hey, I don't own a lot of things.

* * *

Chapter 4: Taken

However tired he was, Robin was unable to sleep. He found himself thinking about Starfire. Her emerald eyes, sometimes he would find that he had lost track of minutes out of the day getting lost in them, _'Minutes well spent.'_ he thought. She was the kindest, most gentle person he had ever known, but possessed a strength on the battlefield like none other. _'She's loving, compassionate, and strong, not to mention drop dead gorgeous!' _Robin slapped himself for being so superficial, but he couldn't help it, she _was _beautiful, in both body and mind; a combination so rare in this world, it was no wonder she came from another one. Robin's thoughts continued to dwell on her, and how he could possibly describe to her how he felt. Fear... Him... _'Wait... What? That's not what I was thinking... Where was I?' _Robin wondered what could have possessed him to think of that. Fear Him!

Robin shot up from his bed and looked around the room, nothing but darkness. It was cold, the window was open letting eerie sounding gusts of wind through. Fear... Him... Robin felt his muscles tense, the voice sounded like it was in the room, but there was more to it than that, it sounded filtered, blocked, like it was behind some unseen wall. Robin scanned the room once more, and stopped quickly as he saw a figure standing at the foot of his bed, cloaked in shadows. The figure seemed to tilt from side to side as it stood. "...Slade?" Robin spoke, finding himself, shivering, paralyzed. The figure abruptly stopped moving, not making a sound, it raised one hand and pointed to the door. Fear... Robin managed to turn his head to the door, his body still immobile. From the slight gap between the bottom of the door and the floor, Robin saw a green light pass by on the other side. Something began scratching on it. Robin turned to look at the figure, it was gone, but the scratching continued. He quickly got up and took out his Bo Staff. With every step he took toward the door, the scratching intensified and grew more erratic, as did the wind from the window. The air began to freeze Robin to his core, but he continued. Robin flung the door open and readied his weapon, there was nothing, even the wind died down. Immediately, something broke the silence, "Robin!" Robin could hear Starfire scream, her voice hoarse and cracking, she was crying.

"Starfire!" Robin yelled as he sat up so fast that the covers were thrown off of him. A cold sweat covered his body, he shivered, "What... It was just a dream." he reassured himself, "Only a dream..." he continued as he raised his hands to his face, massaging his temples. He allowed himself a few moments to steady his breathing and calm his heart rate before he checked the clock. 3:30 AM, he inhaled deeply, held it in, and exhaled; he still had time to rest. Collapsing back on his bed, Robin found himself too awake to even close his eyes, it had been such a vivid dream. Robin decided to head up to the roof early. He stopped outside of Starfire's room; about to knock, he decided against it, he wouldn't disturb her sleep just because his had been.

On the roof, Robin waited as the hours passed, anticipation and anxiety coursing through his veins. The sun began to rise and he waited longer. The sun rose higher, morning ended. She didn't come. _'I guess that's her answer.' _he thought, looking down at his feet. _'She must have figured it out, and decided not to come.' _it was just like her to try to spare his feelings, he knew that if she told him in person, it would hurt even more. _'If that's true... Then why are you crying?' _he asked himself, _'I'm not crying.' _he denied it, as his eyes began to hurt.

Suddenly, the alarm sounded causing Robin to blink, letting a single tear fall of the edge of the tower. Robin shook his head and tried to let his thoughts leave him, he knew he had to focus on his duty now. He headed back down as the others rushed from their rooms.

- - - - - -

"Man... I didn't know villains got up this early." Cyborg yawned, slightly annoyed.

"Must be working the graveyard shift..." Beastboy added, hunched over, his arms dangling lifelessly in front of him.

"This better be quick." Raven just stared at the screen, looking ticked off.

The screen flicked on to show a man from the waist up, there was audible static from the speakers and the video feed was shaky, he was clad in plain black clothing that covered his whole body, a black mask sheltered his entire face, even his eyes, and no identifiable features could be seen. The mask had a creepy white eye emblazoned on it in the middle. He seemed to be standing in front of a window, the contents of which was pitch black, causing the reflections to be quite pronounced. The man obviously had an intense light being shone on him, it made the white eye on his mask stand out. He stood abnormally still, his hands behind his back. The whole scene only served to instill a sense of terror into each of the Titans, who had expected to see a map of the city to appear on the screen.

"Good morning Titans." his voice chilled them to the bone, it was cold, emotionless, and raspy; however, a slight air of arrogance seemed to float around his words.

"Who are you and why have you contacted us?" Robin tried to sound steady, but his words came out shakily. The image on the screen seemed to penetrate into his soul.

"I hope you had a good night's sleep." Robin gritted his teeth and clenched his fists at this, the man had completely ignored his question. "Because you are going to need it." the man continued. _'What the hell was that supposed to mean?' _Robin thought, angered.

"You didn't answer my--" Robin was interrupted.

"Take a look around, I believe your ranks have fallen in number." The man said coldly.

"What?" Robin turned to search the room. Cyborg, Beastboy, Raven... "Starfire?" his pulse began to quicken, "Starfire!" he called, now running as fast as he could to her room. Unbeknownst to the Titans, a sinister grin spread across the man's face.

Robin flung open Starfire's door, "Star--" there was no one in the room, however there was obvious signs of a struggle. Many of her things had fallen off the shelves, broken glass strewn across the floor, her bed was in complete disarray. Robin could feel the anger rise as it began pumping through his blood like fire, he tightened his fists, feeling his entire body shake. "Damn it!" he screamed as he punched the wall with all his rage, leaving a deep dent in the metal. He could feel tears welling up in his eyes, but fought them back. He returned to the living room, looking defeated.

"Robin?" Raven queried as he entered the room. He didn't answer, and she didn't expect him to. She knew he had feelings for Starfire, they all knew. If anything happened to her, it would cut him the deepest. Raven read him; though his face didn't show it, he was angrier than he had ever been, but sadness and fear consumed him, sapping his strength, outwardly, he could not express his fury. Robin faced the screen.

"What have you done with her?" he asked, his voice was an odd mixture of emotions. Contempt for the man on the screen could be sensed in his words, but at the same time, it sounded like he was pleading for Starfire's life. Hearing this the Titans' hearts dropped, she really was gone from the tower.

"Don't worry, she's fine. And she will remain that way, provided that my demands are met." As he spoke, the man turned to face the window and pushed a button that was out of sight. A light switched on and the Titans were faced with a horrific scene. The light illuminated a small portion of the room behind the window. Under the flickering light, they could see Starfire, but she looked far from 'fine'. Her arms were spread out and shackled closely to the wall, leaving the rest of her body to hang from them, it looked like a crucifixion. She was bruised and scratched up bad, even bleeding in some places, her face was stained with tears. She looked unconscious, still breathing. Seeing this, Robin felt like jumping at the screen, and beating the man's image with his bare hands. _'But what good would that do?' _he thought, _'severing our only connection'. _He felt so helpless, she was right there in front of him, in pain, and there was nothing he could do about it.

"...Demands?" Robin managed to ask.

- - - - - -

The room was pitch black, immediately lit up as Starfire hurled another starbolt at the wall. But to no avail, the wall just seemed to absorb it, "You can not hold me here! My friends will--"

"My dear, your _friends,_ are already within my grasp." A voice echoed through the small, empty, room.

"No..." Starfire said, disheartened.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Whew. I hope this one keeps you guessing until next time. I won't say anything else, don't wanna ruin it.

**Next Chapter Preview:** Starfire has been kidnapped and in order to keep her safe, the Titans must respond to the mysterious man's demands. Robin tries to stay strong but the others know that Starfire's absence is affecting him the most. All is not as it seems as Fear starts to consume Robin's mind in Chapter 5: Fear.


	5. Fear

My Strength, and Greatest Weakness

by Blue Ten

Summary:

Jump City has been quiet on the crime front for the past few months and the Titan's are starting to get restless. Starfire tries her best to raise the Titan's spirits, even after Slade meets a rather pointless death. A night at the fair brings Robin and Starfire closer than ever. But when a man calling himself Fear shows up, things start to go horribly wrong. RobinxStarfire.

Disclaimer:

I do not own Teen Titans. Is it for sale or something?

* * *

Chapter 5: Fear

It had all happened so quickly. Just the other day the Titans were having fun, laughing, and enjoying the free time. They had never been happier, and they had Starfire to thank for it. When she was around, the sun seemed to shine all the brighter, and the beauty of life was illuminated by it, bringing to light all the things they had taken for granted; joy, compassion, love... Now, in what seemed like the passing of no more than a fleeting second, a shadow darkened the skies and the Titans found themselves negotiating with a madman who held Starfire's fate in his malevolent hands.

The room was saturated with repressed rage. The Titans knew they shouldn't say anything against this man, who knows what he would do, but they wanted so much to express their disgust for him. Robin found it the hardest to contain his anger, how could anyone do something like this, to a person like her? Every word the man spoke felt like a dagger to his side, and Robin wanted to rip those blades out and send them right back. But he decided to keep those thoughts in his mind, for her sake.

"Before we enter into an agreement, let me lay down the ground rules," the man said, turning away from the window. _'Ground rules?' _Robin thought. "Firstly, you shouldn't try to contact, or locate her, unless you want to give me a spectacular light show. You see, I've rewired her communicator, to send an electrical surge through her body strong enough to kill. I could have simply destroyed it, but where's the fun in that?" he continued, sounding amused by the Titans reaction to his cruel statement. _'Fun? What the hell?' _Robin began glaring. The Titans shot a look at him that seemed to say, 'Don't do it.'. Robin reluctantly nodded, and released his glare.

"Secondly, my _eyes _are everywhere. I have been watching all of you for quite some time now, so if you try to undermine me, I'll know, and _she_ will pay the price for your deception." He turned and symbolically switched off the light that shone on Starfire, leaving the room black again. "Now, all that's left is for you to agree to my demands, do we have a deal?"

"Deal." Robin said without a second thought.

"Robin! You can't--" Cyborg tried to talk some sense into him, he had never seen Robin give in so quickly.

"I know Cyborg, but what choice do we have?" Robin cut in. Cyborg looked at the floor, giving up, he knew Robin was right, but he wished there was some other way.

"So what is it that you want?" Robin examined the screen as he spoke, trying to find something that could give away the location.

"What I want? Why, a place in the history books of course." The man replied, again avoiding a direct answer. _'A place in the--' _Robin couldn't take this any more.

"How about I give you a place in the obituaries!" Robin snapped, his anger finally on the surface. Immediately, he would regret his actions.

"Careful, need I remind you that her life is at my disposal? Don't think for a second that you can threaten me!" Robin had obviously pushed one of his buttons, the man seemed to be visibly shaken by what he said. This came as a surprise, as the Titans had imagined him as anything but human. "Do you wish me to take her life away?" he said heartlessly.

"Please... don't. I'm sorry." Robin said, hating himself for what he had done. His outburst had put Starfire's life in jeopardy.

"That's better." said the man in black, as he relaxed back to his previous stance. "Now. My name is Fear, and my demands are simple. I want you to steal something for me, Robin." he focused his gaze on Robin. "I'm sending the information on the item's location to your computer now. You need not know anything more about it." the computer started downloading a file. "I'll give you an hour to decide where your loyalties lie." with that, the screen went blank and the file was sent to Robin's communicator.

The room fell silent. Robin just stood and stared at his communicator, thinking about Starfire, he felt like falling to his knees and crying. _'I'm supposed to be a leader, I have to stay strong. What kind of example am I setting for the team if I break down?' _he thought about her face, how it had been stained with tears, he began to shiver, _'I'm supposed to be strong...'_.He tried to fight it, tried to keep his emotions from breaking to the surface, but he had already fallen to his knees, letting freely flow the tears he had fought so hard to contain. The Titans looked at him with sympathetic eyes. He slammed his fists on the ground, "I couldn't help her... I was awake that night and I couldn't help her!" Robin said. Cyborg placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright..." Cyborg said, trying to calm him.

"NO! It's my fault--" Robin was cut off by Raven.

"Stop it! It won't do any good blaming yourself, that was a dream Robin, you weren't awake." she said, realizing he had become irrational.

"You read me?" Robin questioned Raven.

"Raven's right, what would Starfire think if she saw us like this?" Beastboy added, "We have to keep our heads and think straight if we're gonna make it through this." Everyone just stared at him, Beastboy had a constructive comment... "What? Is there something on my face?"

Robin stood up, finally realizing he was acting foolish, they could use the time they were given to their advantage. He thought about what he had said before, he knew it was a dream, why he suddenly thought it was real, he didn't understand. "Thanks guys. I don't know what came over me..."

"Everyone, meet me outside." he said, finding new resolve as he headed for the door.

- - - - - -

The sun had risen to the center of the sky, it was clear, and a light summer breeze rustled the leaves in the trees. The Titans didn't pay much attention to the good weather, no matter how much they tried to keep their morale up, it still felt like it was raining. They followed Robin farther and farther away from the tower. All were wondering why Robin couldn't say what he wanted to, inside. They stopped, and met in a circle under a large tree, looking at Robin expectantly.

"We can't talk inside. I'm guessing those _eyes _he mentioned are cameras he's hidden around the tower, so whenever we need to, we should meet up here."

"Yeah, the guy's obviously messing with us, trying to creep us out or something..." Cyborg added, relieved to find his leader thinking rationally again.

"HELLO, his name is FEAR, try and guess what his specialty is." Beastboy said, everyone stared at him again. "What?"

"You're right. We need to find out who this guy is, and fast. Cyborg, I need you to search the tower, try to find out how he got in, be inconspicuous. Beastboy, I want you to look up the data he sent us, report anything you find to my communicator over the secure channel. Raven, if he shows up again, I need you to try and read him." Robin had found his focus, _'It's what she would want.' _he thought. He hated using past-tense like that, it sounded rather grim.

"What about you?" Raven questioned.

"I'm going to steal what he told me to, as Red X."

- - - - - -

"Then we have come to an agreement?" Fear asked the Titans, on the screen once more. They nodded, seeing his 'face' again brought back the feelings of disgust and hatred. "I just knew you would. You would do anything for her, wouldn't you Robin?"

"...You leave her out of this. Your business is with me now." Robin answered, feeling a little bolder.

Fear laughed, "Very good. But we shall see if you hold up your end of the bargain." he said in his cold manner.

Raven took the opportunity to try and read Fear. Attempting to jump in his mind, she found that she couldn't get past the eye on his mask. _'Robin, his mask... it's strange... I can't seem to read past it.' _she sent her thoughts to him.

_'That's alright, we'll just have to leave this up to Cyborg and Beastboy.' _Robin responded.

_'That's what I was afraid of...'_ she joked.

"I suggest you start moving Robin. Time is short, and my patience is wearing thin." Fear said finally as he cut the communication.

Robin walked to his room, thinking about the last time he had been behind the mask of Red X. He had created it as a way of gaining Slade's trust, in the process hoping to find out about his plans, and ultimately, who he was. In the end, however, all he managed to do was lose the respect and trust of his own teammates, even Starfire. It took a long time to gain back their trust, but he knew it was worth it. He vowed he would never wear the mask again, it disgusted him, reminded him of a time he would rather forget. Then Red X manifested itself into reality, as a separate entity, Robin blamed himself, but his friends stood by him. He made his way to the storage room where he kept the suit. Opening the drawer he looked at the mask, it seemed to stare back up at him. He felt a certain apprehension as he reached for it, part of him still hated it. But now, it was his best chance to keep Starfire safe without getting the Titans blamed for a robbery, he had no choice.

_'For Starfire.' _he grabbed the suit, and quickly changed into it.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I have had this story written out in my mind for quite some time now, so if you're wondering: "Where the hell is this guy taking this thing?", don't worry, because I'm taking it to the end. The end will bring everything together, it will all make sense. But it won't be for a while, I expect to have a lot of chapters by the time I'm done. In the mean time, I need more feedback from the reviewers.:)

**Next Chapter Preview:** Robin becomes Red X once more and races to the location on his map. Cyborg and Beastboy uncover some strange information regarding Fear and the object of his desires, but will it help them find Starfire? Find out in Chapter 6: Masked.


	6. Masked

My Strength, and Greatest Weakness

by Blue Ten

Summary:

Jump City has been quiet on the crime front for the past few months and the Titan's are starting to get restless. Starfire tries her best to raise the Titan's spirits, even after Slade meets a rather pointless death. A night at the fair brings Robin and Starfire closer than ever. But when a man calling himself Fear shows up, things start to go horribly wrong. RobinxStarfire.

Disclaimer:

I do not own Teen Titans. Do I?

* * *

Chapter 6: Masked

Starfire sat alone on the cold metal floor. The air was dry and stale, and the room was pitch black. She hated the dark, ever since she was young the shadows seemed so intimidating, fear of the unknown; however, here it was not a phobia, in this situation her fear was rational. _'I can not stand this.' _she thought as she charged a starbolt in her hand. To her surprise, the light wasn't any more comforting than the dark, it revealed how very small the room was, it brought into view the cold steel walls, showing that there was no visible exit. Even more frightening, the walls were stained with a dark liquid, _'...It is blood.' _she thought, now regretting the light. She decided to examine the walls closely, perhaps a way out could be found. Starfire stood up and faced the wall she had been leaning against, slowly she began to move her hand toward it. As she touched it, her starbolt was drained from her hand and seemed to be pulled into the wall. She quickly withdrew her hand as a sensation of pain began to surge through it. The room was dark once more.

"You saw the blood didn't you? Try to guess which stain was the deathblow." Fear's voice resonated through the room from some unknown location.

"NO! It is a lie!"

"Deny it all you want. The truth, is painted on the walls."

- - - - - -

The quarter moon shone on Titans Tower, it was uncharacteristically quiet, as each of the Titans were silently and discreetly carrying out their orders. Cyborg walked through the halls of his tower, searching for signs of entry. His cybernetic eye was set to detect any changes in temperature. Noticing a strange substance lining the halls around the Titan's bedrooms, he nonchalantly swiped his hand across a wall.

Sitting at a computer, Beastboy tried to ignore the stares he was getting in the city's library, while he looked up the information Robin had given him. For once he wished that the Titans weren't so famous. He had been searching for hours trying to find a match for the map. Finally, an identical map showed up on screen with a link. Clicking on the link, Beastboy's eyes widened, what he discovered was more horrible than anything he had ever imagined. "Great, sciencey stuff... How am I EVER going to be able to report this?" he asked himself with a twitch.

Raven levitated in her room, feeling rather useless. _'That mask... He must have known I would try to read him. He counted on deception...'_ she thought. Raven wondered about the crime level, how the drop had been so sudden, _'Could he have something to do with it?' _she dwelled on that question for a while and decided to contribute something to the research. Waking from her trance, she booted up the computer in her room. Checking the status on every criminal in the Jump City police records, she found something strange.

- - - - - -

The night, and the shadows of the trees in the forest, cloaked Robin's form as he silently rushed his way through, following the blinking dot on his communicator. Though he was taught that the shadows were the best camouflage, in them he felt that he was truly alone, and it scared him. He wanted to know where he was going, and even more, what he was going to steal. Robin remembered how Slade had used him to steal before, this situation was similar, it frightened him. Now, this man Fear, he was doing the same thing, only he was using Starfire alone as bargain material, toying with Robin's emotions, playing games with his deepest, darkest fears. As Robin increased his pace, he saw something strange in front of him. _'...A light? No... An eye!' _he thought, as he continued running, it seemed to be moving toward him. The eye from Fear's mask hit Robin in the face, so hard that he fell to the ground.

Robin got up quickly, he found that his head was pounding, his breathing labored. Tearing off his mask, he struggled to restore his breath, the hammers continued to beat on his head, and he threw his hands to his face attempting to relieve the pain. "Uuuhn... What was that? A hallucination maybe..." he said. Looking up, he saw a thick tree branch had broken off and fallen next to him, he realized he must have hit his head on it. "Gotta pay more attention..." he told himself, staying down and placing the mask back on, the pain finally subsiding. He looked at his communicator, twenty minutes had passed.

"Robin, come in!" Beastboy's voice sounded over the small speaker.

"...Robin here." he responded, he hated the way his voice sounded through the mask.

"What happened? We've been trying to reach you for... twenty minutes now." Beastboy said, sounding worried, and annoyed.

"Ran into a little... obstacle. Anything to report?"

"Actually we all have something. But I'll go first. Okay, the place your going is called... BIO-GEM or something... they specialize in geriatrics... and bio-engines." Beastboy sounded confused.

"Gimme that!" Cyborg could be heard fighting for the communicator. "First, It's called BIO-**GEN, **not BIO-**GEM! **And second, they specialize in **genetics **and **bio-engineering**, not **geriatrics** and--" Cyborg corrected Beastboy.

"I knew that!" Beastboy retorted.

Cyborg sighed heavily, "Anyway, for my part, I found something strange in the tower. A sedative gas of some sort, the residue was lining the walls around our rooms, it causes temporary paralysis, and drastically lowers body temperature, it explains how he was able to... take Starfire without us noticing." he continued, wary of his words. "Raven." Cyborg handed the communicator to Raven.

"I looked up all our usual enemies. It turns out, they're all either in prison, or presumed missing or dead. There were names on the list... Plasmas, Mad Mod, Killer Moth, and more. Last time I checked, they were still on the loose. Fear must have something to do with it, think about what happened with Slade." She finished.

"Thanks guys." Robin said. "Beastboy, any information on what it is he wants me to steal?"

"Sorry, that's all I could find, everything else was classified." Beastboy replied.

"I figured it would be, don't worry about it." Robin said, knowing now that this item must be of great importance. "Raven, I want you to look further into your discovery, I think it could be our best lead yet. If he contacts you, try to get him to spill something about it. Over and out." Robin cut the communication.

Robin sighed, he didn't mean to cut their conversation so quickly, but he didn't want them to hear his voice the way it was, shaky and weakened. Attempting to push himself up with his arms, Robin found it difficult to stand up again, he wobbled a bit before he regained his balance. Moving was even harder, to Robin, it felt like his legs weighed a ton. He moved slowly, crunching the forest floor under his feet, and using nearby trees to hold his weight as he gradually learned how to walk again. His strength returned to him step by step, and he began running once more. He found that the more he thought of Starfire, the stronger his will became. _'I'll do whatever it takes, to save you...'_

- - - - - -

Robin reached the edge of the forest and stopped. Looking out through the trees he saw a large facility, in big bold letters on the side of one of the buildings was the word "BIO-GEN". Though it looked to be heavily guarded, sentries moving about their shifts, there were barely any lights and the rooftops would make for the perfect entry point. Robin was standing on a hill that dropped straight down, there was nearly twenty feet between him and the first rooftop, he decided that his best course of action would be to jump. Robin took a few steps back, charged, and launched himself across the gap, landing silently on the roof. In a hurry, he jumped from building to building, until he was directly over his destination on the map. Robin searched the roof for a way inside, the air vents. Removing the cover, he quickly crawled in.

The air vent was cold and dusty, Robin had to suppress the urge to cough. He came upon a vent cover, where he was looking down at a hallway, removing the cover, he quickly scanned the hall for guards and cameras, there was nothing, several doors lined the walls. Checking the map, he saw that his destination was in the northernmost room. Robin carefully, and quietly, let himself down into the hall, heading north he found a door, in front of which he came to a complete stop. There, right above the door were the words "Project Lazarus".

- - - - - -

The night winds were cold and swift, the water at the shore of the island moved inward and outward, crashing against the rocks. The Titans stood outside by the tree, Raven held the communicator in her hand, everyone had their eyes on it. They realized Robin was in a hurry, they knew he had other things on his mind, but he seemed to be quick with his words, too quick, like he was hiding something. They all sighed and began making their way back to the tower, unsure of what their next move should be. Raven stopped.

"Wait, there's something I should tell you... Fear targeted him out of all of us, I think he did something to Robin, and it seems to be affecting him greatly. I felt it when I read him, and it became apparent when he talked about his dream like it had actually happened... I sensed the same thing from Slade, before he died." Raven admitted.

"Raven. Are you telling us... Robin's gone off the deep end?" Beastboy questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"No. He seems to be fighting it with all his strength. But I have a feeling that, out of all of us, he may be in the most danger."

The helplessness of their situation began to sink in again, as the winds swept by and the emptiness of the night surrounded them, they were alone in the dark.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the delay, I realize I had been doing daily updates, but I missed a day because I was distracted by work and... Naruto(Watch it dub-haters and be amazed!).

On another note, this chapter had an overall theme for all of the Titans: Even though they are apart, together, they are alone in the dark.

Anyway, if you can offer anything constructive in your reviews, please do.

**Next Chapter Preview:** Robin finds the object Fear wants, but what is it? The Titans dig deeper into the disappearance of their enemies, and come to a shocking revelation about what is happening to Robin. A strange piece of the puzzle is unveiled in Chapter 7: Lazarus.


	7. Lazarus

My Strength, and Greatest Weakness

by Blue Ten

Summary:

Jump City has been quiet on the crime front for the past few months and the Titan's are starting to get restless. Starfire tries her best to raise the Titan's spirits, even after Slade meets a rather pointless death. A night at the fair brings Robin and Starfire closer than ever. But when a man calling himself Fear shows up, things start to go horribly wrong. RobinxStarfire.

Disclaimer:

I do not own Teen Titans. Or am I?

* * *

Chapter 7: Lazarus

Robin had successfully broken into the BIO-GEN facility, standing perfectly still in an unlit hallway, he traced his memories, trying to find the right one. The images seemed to leave his mind as soon as they entered, he couldn't seem to keep them at the forefront of his thoughts. _'Lazarus... Where have I heard that before?'_ Robin asked himself, staring at the words in front of him. Robin walked up to the door and pressed his ear against it, checking if the room was empty, there were voices, a man and a woman.

"So if this works, then--" The man asked.

"Yeah." The woman cut him off, implying that he already knew the answer.

"Wow, just like that, huh?" The voices came closer to the door. Opening it, the two entered an empty hallway. Robin looked down at them from the ceiling, where he had his arms and legs pressed against the opposing walls. They were wearing white lab coats with name tags, Richard and Christina, your stereotypical scientist outfit. As they shut off the lights in the Lazarus room and closed the door, Robin was surprised to see the two embrace each other, leaning in for a kiss. Seeing this, Robin felt sick, he wanted so much to see Starfire again, to tell her how he felt, he wanted to hold her close and never let go, maybe even work up the courage to... The two began walking down the hall together.

"You might want to lock that up." Christina said, pointing to the door.

"Oh, right. You always have that affect on me." Richard said jokingly, walking back and taking out his keys. Robin rolled his eyes, _'such a corny line.' _he thought. After locking the door Richard quickened his pace to catch up with Christina. Robin waited until he heard the door on the other side close before he dropped back down in the hall, letting out a repressed sigh. Robin took out a lock pick and began working on the door. He checked behind him as the door made a loud click and squeaked when it opened.

Robin searched the room with his eyes, it was dark but there was light emanating from a corner. He checked his map, whatever it was in the corner, that's what Fear wanted him to steal. Robin walked over to it, there was a small black box, the source of the light was inside it. Robin checked his communicator, the blinking dot had turned green as he approached the box, _'This must be it.' _he thought. Carefully picking up the box, he heard the swishing sound of liquid inside. Suddenly, the memories came flooding back in his mind. Lazarus, the water.

"My God..." an idea of what Fear might be planning started to form in Robin's mind.

- - - - - -

The Titans were tired, the day had been filled with more stress than any other, and they hadn't even fought anyone. They wanted to rest, to sleep away their tensions, but the guilt would be too much for them to bare. Sleeping while Starfire was hurt and in captivity, sleeping while Robin was in some kind of danger, they couldn't deal with it. Waiting around for Fear to call again seemed like a waste of time, they had to take action. Cyborg decided to break the silence.

"So what should we do?" Cyborg asked the others, still standing outside with them.

"I guess we should go to the prison and check up on those guys. Right Raven?" Beastboy asked.

"I lied, they're not at the prison, they're at the asylum." Raven said, looking away from Beastboy and Cyborg.

The asylum? They knew a lot of the enemies they fought were crazy, but the fact that all of them would end up in the insane asylum was very strange. Even more outlandish was that they hadn't escaped yet, it always seemed that they were out the minute they got in. And if they couldn't escape, they had people on the outside willing to break them out. The Titans came to a frightening conclusion, maybe they didn't want to get out.

"Wait... Why did you lie?" Cyborg questioned Raven.

"It's like I said before. Robin knows more than he's telling us. I didn't want to worry him, he has enough on his mind." Raven answered.

"You're right. Come on, were wasting time, let's get the car and head on down there." Cyborg said, hoping that Raven wasn't right about Robin.

- - - - - -

The Jump City Asylum looked old and run down, much like Arkham in Gotham City as Robin described it. The broken and discolored brick walls on the exterior were reminiscent of a decaying corpse. However, this building was not abandoned like Arkham, it was still, in business. Immediately recognized at the door, the Titans didn't even have to explain their reasons for entering.

The interior couldn't be more different from the outside, it was clean, new, and very, white. The simple colors and patterns were designed to maintain what little sanity these criminals had left. The halls were lined with thick metal doors, reinforced with heavy locks, each had the detainee's name on it, and a small plated glass window at eye level. As they continued walking, a name caught Beastboy's eye, above one door it said: "Alias: Mad Mod". Against his best judgment, he decided to peek in through the window. Mod's old and feeble form was huddled in the corner, in a straight jacket, rocking back and forth, he seemed to be mouthing something, but it was inaudible. Beastboy quickly jumped away from the window when Mod shot a look at him with a twitchy eye, he tripped backward and ran into Raven.

"Come on, he's just one on the list." Raven said pulling the shocked Beastboy by his shirt.

The Titans continued through the halls, examining each of the inmates carefully. One by one, each of the enemies they had known for so long, the Titans' own Rogues Gallery, were seen in a different light, they were all genuinely afraid of something. Plasmus, the members of Hive, Overload, Johnny Rancid, even Mumbo, they were all here. They all refused to speak, instead repeating the same two words over and over again, "Fear." and, "Eye." If Robin had been affected the same way, was this to be his fate as well?

The Titans now knew that Fear was behind it all, but why did he need all these people out of the way? Was it simply to satisfy his psychotic ego, or was there some other reason? Something much darker than what could be seen on the surface. The Titans left the asylum, feeling like they had found even more useless information, ending up with more questions than answers, and they weren't any closer to finding Starfire. Another dead end. They were about to get back in the T-Car, when Cyborg's communicator went off.

"Titans, come in." Robin sounded very stressed.

"We hear you Robin... What is it?" Cyborg responded, trying to forget about what he had seen.

"I think I know what Fear might be planning." Robin said, "I'm heading back to the tower now, meet me there, I think it would be better if I told you in person."

"Will do. Titans out." Cyborg shut off his communicator and turned to the others, "Well, he doesn't sound like them... I think he should be fine. Right?"

­- - - - - -

The moon had disappeared behind the clouds, the winds had died down, and the night was oddly quiet. The Titans had gathered around their new usual meeting place, waiting for Robin. The same question was running through each of their minds. What had Robin discovered? And will it help them find Starfire? The Titans waited for about an hour, hearing approaching footsteps, Cyborg motioned for them to hide. A dark figure approached the tree, in his hands he held a small black case. When he got close enough they all jumped out at him, Cyborg charged his cannon, Raven was ready to fly some rocks at him, and Beastboy was an ape.

"Hey! Wait, it's me." Robin said. Realizing he still had the mask on, he quickly removed it.

"Oh, jeez. Sorry man, we've been a little on edge." Cyborg apologized, lowering his weapon.

"Yeah. We thought you were psycho--ow!" Beastboy was elbowed by Raven, mid-sentence. "I mean crazy--I mean... Red X!"

"Beastboy... When this is over, do me a favor, and get some sleep." Robin shook his head at Beastboy.

Cyborg stood still and blinked a couple times, "AAAnyway, what was it you wanted to tell us?" he asked Robin, changing the subject.

"Right. I know exactly what it is that Fear had me steal." Robin held up the container in his hand. "Back in Gotham City, there was a man named Ra's Al Ghul, he led a worldwide criminal organization whose goal was to purify the planet of pollution, only problem was he tried to obtain this goal by any means necessary... He was a constant threat to Batman, and every time we thought he had been killed, he came back even stronger. He claimed to be over 600 years old, and that he owes his longevity, to this." Robin opened the container, there were several vials, filled with a strange luminescent green liquid. "He had a spring he called the Lazarus Pit, this stuff comes from there."

"Mind if I take a look?" Cyborg asked. Robin handed him the container, Cyborg set it down and took out a vial. Placing a finger over the open vial, a small tube extended from his mechanical digit, and sucked up some liquid. He waited a few seconds and looked at the display on his arm. "Whoah. According to the readout, this stuff has some amazing regenerative properties."

"So you think Fear is going to try and make himself younger with that stuff, like that Ghoul guy?" Beastboy questioned.

"Even if he wanted to, there's not enough here to accomplish much of anything." Robin answered. "But he must want it for something... Cyborg, can you try and figure out what else he could use it for?"

"Sure... But it could take a while, do we have enough time?" He continued to examine the readout on his arm.

"Of course. Fear still has to get it from us, and take it back to his hideout." Robin replied, "We can also use that moment to follow him, figure out where... he's keeping her."

­- - - - - -

After a while, the darkness became more comforting than the light. Starfire didn't want to look at the blood that blemished the metal walls, she didn't want to think about what it meant, if Fear was telling the truth.

"Robin..." Starfire sobbed, tears began to stream from her eyes.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Something came to my attention. The fact that the Red X suit was stolen in "X" doesn't make much sense to this story, considering it's supposed to take place after "The End". I guess this story is running on the assumption that Robin had more than one suit, or that it's a fanfic and it doesn't **all **have to make sense.

Just in case you're wondering, Ra's Al Ghul is a real character, I didn't make him up. There's actually some Batman history in this chapter.

R&R is much appreciated. :P

**Next Chapter Preview:** Strangely, Fear comes to pick up the package in person. Robin tries to hold back his anger, knowing that if he attacks Fear, they might never find Starfire. Beastboy follows Fear, and his location is revealed. But when Cyborg discovers what Fear is going to do, the Titans' worst nightmares are realized. Starfire's role is revealed in Chapter 8: A Life for an Eternity.


	8. A Life for an Eternity

My Strength, and Greatest Weakness

by Blue Ten

Summary:

Jump City has been quiet on the crime front for the past few months and the Titan's are starting to get restless. Starfire tries her best to raise the Titan's spirits, even after Slade meets a rather pointless death. A night at the fair brings Robin and Starfire closer than ever. But when a man calling himself Fear shows up, things start to go horribly wrong. RobinxStarfire.

Disclaimer:

I do not own Teen Titans. And I can't think of another "witty" comment.

* * *

Chapter 8: A Life for an Eternity

The common room of the tower, it had been vacant for a great amount of time, or at least what felt like a great amount of time, the dust of lost time had settled on the untouched floors and table tops. Walking in the door, the Titans felt nostalgic, remembering the times they spent here. Beastboy and Cyborg would always argue about what to eat for breakfast, and lunch, and dinner. They had all bickered with each other so much then. Even Raven played her part in it, mostly with Beastboy. All the fighting, all the opposition, over such small things, it seemed so trivial now. But the good times heavily outweighed the bad, Starfire was always central to those moments. Happiness, it had become a distant dream, lost, stolen away along with her.

Robin looked at the hallway, he felt a twinge of pain in his heart as he thought of the last day he spent with her. That night was perfect, everything about it told him that by Starfire's side, was right where he belonged, no one had ever made him feel this way about himself, and he had never felt this way about anyone else. He realized that the only times in his life, when he felt truly happy, were spent with her. He wanted to tell her these things, but he was so afraid of what her reaction to his feelings would be, so afraid of rejection, that he held off on telling her until it was too late. He didn't want the last thing he said to her to be, goodnight. He would fight his hardest to see her again, no matter what it took.

Here they stood, together, yet alone. The last person they wanted to see again, would show his face at any moment. The screen lit up, and there he was, the man they despised above all others, Fear. He stood in front of the same window, behind which, Starfire was held, still shackled to the wall, the light cast on her flickered and blinked. His mask, that eye, that penetrating eye.

"Robin, I see you have accomplished your mission. What took so long, run into any, _problems_?" maybe it was the static, but his voice seemed to crack. Robin didn't like how Fear said 'problems', it seemed to imply that he knew about the incident in the forest.

"We have what you want, come and get it." Robin said solidly.

"Very well. Wait outside on the street across from your island. I'll find you." the screen went blank, Robin hadn't looked at Fear at all, his attention was tied to Starfire in the background. The Titans were surprised to see the communication end so quickly, Fear seemed rushed.

Without saying a word to each other, Robin, Beastboy, and Raven left to wait on the street, Cyborg stayed behind to look further into the uses of the Lazarus water.

- - - - - -

The road was empty, and oddly enough, all the lamp posts were shut off. The scene was very strange, they had never seen the city this quiet. It was too dark to see much, but the light from the moon offered some illumination as the clouds that blocked it out, parted slowly. Robin looked from his left to his right, scanning the area for anyone, the eerily quiet atmosphere and the cold rushes of wind sent a shiver down his spine. Robin, centered his view to look across the street, he saw Fear's eye glowing in the dark, for a moment he thought he was seeing things again, until he realized it was attached to a body.

"There he is." Robin pointed across the street.

"Titans, beautiful night isn't it?" Fear said, crossing the street, walking to within five feet of the Titans, where he stopped. He sounded much more relaxed than he did back at the tower.

Robin walked forward and set the case on the ground, never taking his eyes off Fear, all the while, glaring. He found it hard to control his anger, here was the man that had taken Starfire, the one who had caused her so much pain, and Robin couldn't risk beating the living daylights out of him, however much he wanted to. Fear reached down and inspected the case. He opened it, "Ah, this is it." he said.

"Where's Starfire?" Robin demanded.

"Don't worry, you will see her again, in time." Fear began backing away, preparing to leave. Robin became infuriated, his already clenched fists began shaking.

"What did you do to put all those people in the asylum?" Raven questioned Fear in her monotone voice, changing the subject.

"So you figured that out did you? Clever girl." Fear turned his eye to Raven. "In order to achieve one's goals, obstacles must be removed. Speaking of which, I'd like to thank you personally for removing my greatest obstacle for me. I believe his name was Slade. He had proven rather resilient to my _influence_." Fear sounded amused by his own words, knowing he had angered the Titans by not only mentioning Slade's death, but crediting them for it.

"I think it's about time you left." Robin spoke through his teeth.

Fear laughed calmly, and turning around, disappeared into the shadows. Robin waited a few moments before he decided to speak again.

"Beastboy--" Robin started.

"I'm way ahead of you." Beastboy turned into a pigeon and flew after Fear.

"I'm going with him." Raven added.

"Good, two sets of eyes are better than one. I'd go too, but he'd notice me first." Robin said. Raven nodded and sunk into the shadows, following after Beastboy.

Robin waited alone on the street. It was up to the others now.

- - - - - -

The buildings passed quickly by, under him, as Beastboy kept his unblinking eyes on Fear, who began running as soon as he was out of Robin's view. Even though he was the one following someone, Beastboy couldn't shake the feeling that he was being followed as well. Fear came to a sudden stop in an alley, Beastboy landed on a nearby rooftop and reverted to human form. He saw that Fear was breathing heavily, resting his weight on his knees with his arms, he looked in pain. Fear reached in his pocket and pulled out a syringe, stabbing it into his leg, he let out a grunt.

"What the--" Beastboy felt a hand cover his mouth and pull him away from the edge of the roof. He turned to see Raven. "Rrraabbn?" Beastboy asked, his voice muffled.

"Shhh." Raven hushed him. Both looked back over the edge, it looked like Fear was stopping to take a break. Raven let go of Beastboy.

"Raven. What are you doing here?" Beastboy whispered.

"I knew you'd give yourself away if I didn't follow you." Raven said.

"Like I need your--" Beastboy retorted, still trying to keep his voice down.

"Starfire's safety is at risk, you need all the help you can get."

"...You're right. I'm sorry." Beastboy apologized, realizing the seriousness of the situation. Raven seemed surprised by this, the last thing she expected out of Beastboy, was an apology.

"Um... don't worry about it." hearing movement in the alley, Raven grabbed Beastboy's hand, "Come on, my way is a lot, more quiet." with that, she pulled him into the shadows and continued following Fear, who was on the move again. Jumping from shadow to shadow, Raven and Beastboy trailed him through the alleys until he came to a dead end where three buildings converged. Fear quickly looked around him, when he knew he was alone, he placed his hand on the wall, pushing in one of the bricks. A hidden door opened and Fear walked in, it closed swiftly after he entered. This area looked strangely familiar to the two Titans.

- - - - - -

Robin had been trained to keep his composure in any situation, but he felt useless just standing beside the road, waiting for the go ahead from his teammates. He was anxious to follow Fear and find Starfire, as well as give Fear some well-deserved payback. He imagined himself, breaking into the hideout, beating up Fear, and saving Starfire; he knew however, deep in the pit of his stomach, that the scenario wouldn't play out like that, Fear was far too cunning, he was unlike any other enemy the Titans had faced. Fear was similar to Slade in many ways, but, in many ways, he was worse. The familiar ring of his communicator interrupted his thoughts.

"Robin here." he said.

"Robin, we found his place. You better hurry down here." Beastboy spoke quickly.

"I'm on my way!" Robin shut off the communicator, and began to run, when his communicator went off again. "I said I'm on my way."

"Robin?" Cyborg sounded confused.

"Oh, Cyborg. What is it? I'm kind of in a hurry right now." Robin continued running in Beastboy and Raven's direction while he spoke.

"I know. But you need to hear this... It's about the Lazarus water." Cyborg sounded quite distraught, "When the liquid is coursing through someone's bloodstream, concentrated energy of a specific frequency would radiate the effects of the water throughout the entire body, effectively changing the subject's genetic code, theoretically it would cause rapid cell regeneration, indefinitely." he continued.

"You mean, immortality--" Robin asked, not wanting to believe that Fear could obtain this power.

"And near-invulnerability. Robin, I had a suspicion, so I compared the required energy frequency to the energy Starfire emits when she uses her powers... it was a perfect match." Robin could hear the distress in Cyborg's voice.

"What does that mean?" Robin asked, part of him already knew the answer.

"I think Fear plans to use Starfire as a battery, draining the life force from her body..."

Cyborg told Robin he would catch up with him, and shut off the communicator. Robin couldn't believe what he had just heard, how could Fear sacrifice such an innocent person for his own selfish gain? _'Starfire could die because of this.'_ he thought. Robin increased his pace as much as he could, rushing through the alleys to his destination. He wouldn't, he couldn't let this happen, not to Starfire.

* * *

**Author's Note: **I can't explain why, but this chapter seemed special to me. So I worked extra hard on the wording and scene layout. I even gave Beastboy and Raven a bigger part in this chapter, I realized I had been neglecting them.

As usual, your reviews are very much valued.

**Next Chapter Preview:** Robin and the others enter Fear's hideout only to find that it once belonged to someone they knew all too well. Will Robin make it in time to save Starfire, and stop Fear from obtaining immortality? Fear is unmasked and the end nears in Chapter 9: Please Don't Die.


	9. Please Don't Die

My Strength, and Greatest Weakness

by Blue Ten

Summary:

Jump City has been quiet on the crime front for the past few months and the Titan's are starting to get restless. Starfire tries her best to raise the Titan's spirits, even after Slade meets a rather pointless death. A night at the fair brings Robin and Starfire closer than ever. But when a man calling himself Fear shows up, things start to go horribly wrong. RobinxStarfire.

Disclaimer:

I do not own Teen Titans. But, Teen Titans owns!.

* * *

Chapter 9: Please Don't Die

The clouds had finally receded, revealing the brilliant light of the silver moon. The objects in the alley seemed to pass by like leaves in a wind storm, blurring them out of focus, turning them into quick rushes of color. As he dashed through the alley at a speed he didn't even know he could reach, Robin pushed the very limits of what his body would allow, fueled by a relentless surge of energy, an energy that dwelled deep within his heart. His muscles ached, he could hardly breathe, his head pounded, but he pressed on, never letting up. He knew the pain he was feeling now would disappear, but the pain of losing her would last forever. To never see her face, or her smile again. To never hear her beautiful voice. It was too much.

Somewhere, hidden away in the deep recesses of his mind, was blame, blame he placed on himself for giving Fear the means to attain his goal. Lazarus water, the catalyst for Starfire's death. It was as though he had handed Fear the gun. But now, he could not afford to think about it, now he had the chance to right what he believed was his wrong. He could finish this, end this nightmare if he could only reach her in time. Turning away from his inner battles for a moment, Robin saw that he was coming up on a dead end, two figures stood beside the brick wall. Beastboy and Raven.

Robin managed to slow himself down as he reached them, "Where did he go?" he demanded.

"That was quick! Didn't we call you just a few seconds ago?" Beastboy asked.

"Where did he go!" Robin repeated.

Beastboy gulped and quickly ran over to the wall. Pressing the brick in, the door opened, "In here."

"Robin, wait up man!" Cyborg's metal feet could be heard pounding on the ground as he raced to catch up with Robin. Cyborg gasped for breath as he came to a stop. He looked at the others, then to Robin, "We still have some time. Fear has to first synthesize a serum out of the water, fill it with nanomachines, and inject himself with it. That should buy us more than enough time."

"Nanomachines?" Robin asked, a little relieved that the time limit on Starfire's life hadn't run out yet. Even so, he didn't want to waste time.

"It's the only way to transfer all the energy into his body, without killing himself in the process. The nanos will concentrate the energy and focus it on the Lazarus Water, he'd still have to plug himself into something to get the energy in his body though. If were lucky, he'll kill himself instead of..." Cyborg trailed off, kicking himself for that as he saw Robin's reaction. "Let's get going, we may have some time, but we shouldn't waste it."

The Titans decided they should be stealthy about entering this place, if they were caught by surprise, it was over. Another reason was, it could be possible to catch Fear by surprise. The interior was dark, but with what little light was being cast by the scattered fixtures on the ceiling, they could see the walls were made of cold steel, and the area they were in was a single hall that extended on quite far. There were ambient noises, something similar to metal pressing and moving against metal. Cyborg was surprised to find that there were no hidden cameras, or ground lasers when he scanned the halls. There was something about this place, it was so familiar to the Titans, but they couldn't quite grasp what it was. As they approached the end of the hall, they came upon a door, Robin motioned for them to hide on the adjacent walls. The noises were much louder now. Robin pressed the control panel, and the door slid open. As the Titans looked at the large room before them, their eyes widened.

The outer edges of the room were populated with giant metal gears and cogs, twisting and turning like a giant clock, they now realized why this place was so familiar. It was one of Slade's former hideouts. After seeing that this room was also empty, they continued through the door, and examined the room for exits. There were two open hallways that led off into the remaining left and right walls of the room. A sudden crash, like glass shattering, turned the Titan's attention to the left hallway.

"I'll take the left hallway." Robin said, keeping his voice down, "Cyborg, Beastboy, Raven, you two take the right."

"Robin, are you sure about that? Fear could be down there." Cyborg questioned.

"I can take him. You guys focus on finding Starfire." Robin reassured them.

They reluctantly agreed, and separated.

- - - - -

Fear cursed as he dropped a vial of liquid, the luminescent contents spreading across the tiled floor. He stared at his hand, as it shook uncontrollably, Fear fell to the ground, in a great deal of pain. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a syringe, and with his good hand, stabbed the needle into his leg. He watched as the shaking in his hand began to slow, and eventually, stop. He let out a sigh and shook his head as he got up and grabbed another vial from the case.

The lab was much different from the rest of the facility, it was well lit and clean. The walls of the room were lined by a counter, on which there were many different kinds of equipment for use. There were four rectangular tables in the center, which would be used for examination of materials. It was a room that was made for many people to use at once, however, he was alone. Walking to the counter, Fear set down the vial, and poured a clear substance into it, lifting the glass to the light as he watched the two liquids mix. After waiting for the liquids to blend, he reached for a clean syringe, placed the needle in the vial, and pulled a large amount into it. He pressed the syringe to release any air and stared at it for a minute, in what would seem like awe, and carefully injected himself in the arm.

Fear set down the syringe, and walked from the room into the darkened hallway, the door closing automatically behind him. There was a computer console just to the right of the door, Fear turned to it and began typing on the keyboard. "Just a few more minutes now." he said to himself. Fear felt a tapping on his shoulder, and turning around, was met with a strong punch to the face. It sent him flying to the wall, which he hit with a tremendous force. He groaned and looked down the hall to identify his attacker, waiting for his vision to clear.

"Nightmare's over Fear, time to wake up." Robin said confidently.

Fear began to growl under his mask, "Damn You! How did you find me!" he demanded.

"You led us here." Robin didn't understand it, he had thought Fear to be a criminal mastermind. Why then, did he not expect the Titans to follow?

"You! You're just like him. So resistant to my influence, but even _he _had his breaking point." Fear began laughing maniacally, "What say we find yours?" he locked his glance on Robin and placed a hand on his head next to his "eye".

Robin stared at Fear, unsure of what he was doing, until the eye seemed to fly from his mask and right into Robin's mind. Immediately he was flooded with strange visions. Robin watched as his parents fell to their deaths. He struggled to move but his head hurt more with every passing memory. He brought his hands to his head and screamed. The painful memories of his childhood continued to surge through his thoughts.

"You can't fight it! I'll show you the past! I'll show you the future!" Fear taunted as he got up, dizzily walking toward Robin.

Robin looked down at his feet, there he saw Starfire's body. She was lying in a pool of her own blood, looking away he found that it was splattered all over the walls as well.

"You can't save her! She will die! It's only fitting that her death, will usher in my eternity!" Fear continued to walk closer to Robin, laughing.

"NO!" Robin broke through the illusion, shattering it like glass. His head still in pain from the visions, he fought it back, and grabbed the shocked Fear by the collar, slamming him up against the wall. "That's not going to happen! I'll make sure of it!" he said ripping off Fear's mask. Robin's eyes widened. "You!"

- - - flashback - - -

"I said get away from me! NOW--" Slade cut himself off, and looking down, brought a hand over his heart, he looked at his trembling hand which was now covered in blood. Slade collapsed, revealing a young police officer who had been standing behind him, he held a gun in his hand and a look of horror on his face. Slade writhed in pain on the ground, pressing his hand against his wound, hacking and coughing. Slade sounded like he was trying to speak, but only a grating, raspy breath seemed to escape his mouth. He struggled more and managed to fight out two words, "F-Fear... Him..." Slade choked on his utterance, and finally let out a death rattle. As the Titans relaxed their fighting stances, Cyborg walked over to Slade and checked his pulse, "He's dead."

Robin glared at the police officer, ran up to him, grabbed him by the collar, and slammed him up against the wall.

"Who are you to decide if he lives or dies?" Robin demanded, surprised to find himself defending his arch enemy's right to live.

"I-I panicked! I didn't know what he was going to do!" The boy responded shakily. Angered further by this response, Robin pushed him harder against the wall.

"That's no excuse! You--" Robin stopped as Starfire put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a sympathetic look.

"Robin, he was afraid. Just as... Slade had been." she said, a tone of sadness in her voice. She was right.

The officer shot a quick glance at Starfire, "..." he struggled.

Robin loosened his grip and dropped the officer, who then got up and nearly tripped over himself, awkwardly running out of the alley. _'Coward.'_ Robin thought as he watched the boy leave.

- - - end flashback - - -

Fear... Him. Fear, him. Robin remembered what Slade had said, realizing now he wasn't telling the Titan's to fear someone, he was telling them who Fear was.

"You're the one who killed Slade!" Robin yelled, "Why? Why are you doing all this?" he demanded.

The young man looked down at Robin, his face became serious, "...I suffer from a rare degenerative disease... I'm breaking down on the cellular level. In a few months, There'll be nothing of me left." he said.

"Why did you bring us into this? Why Starfire?" Robin questioned him again, not loosening his grip.

"The Lazarus water was my only chance. I had watched you since you first formed your little team, planning to use you to steal it for me, but I couldn't figure out how. Then the girl joined, and you formed quite a special friendship with her, it was then I realized, she was your weakness. I was fascinated by her powers, finding that they were the perfect energy to complete my cure. I spent the next few years systematically removing my _obstacles_..."

"You'd kill her to save your worthless--"

"I didn't want to die! Can you imagine what it's like to know the exact date of your death? Can you imagine living, when every day you are slowly being eaten away, when every day the pain worsens..." the boy began to cry, "...Before you kill me, tell me how you resisted my eye."

"I found my strength." Robin reached to his belt and pulled out a small metal object, placing it on the boy's chest, "Goodnight." he said. A quick surge of electricity passed through the young man's body, knocking him out as Robin dropped him to the ground. Robin stared at him lying on the floor, he hated him with all his being, he would never forgive him for what he did to Starfire, however, he still felt sorry for him. The fear of his own death had driven him mad...

Robin looked around the room, it looked familiar. It was the room from Fear's communications, he could see the room where Starfire was being kept. Robin quickly got up and hit a button on the console. The light in the room switched on, there Starfire was, still shackled to the wall, still unconscious. Robin couldn't find a door, so he broke the glass with a birdarang, and jumped through, running to Starfire. _'Please be okay.' _he thought. Robin tried to grab her hand, but his passed right through, her image became distorted, like static on a screen, and disappeared.

"A hologram? Where is she?" Robin became more worried.

"Robin, come in." Cyborg spoke over the communicator.

"Yeah..." Robin responded.

"I'm detecting life signs behind this wall. You better hurry down here."

"I'm on my way." Robin said, cutting the communication. He knew it was Starfire, Fear must have used this hologram to scare the Titans.

­- - - - - -

Starfire sat in the dark room, wiping tears from her eyes. She didn't want to believe Fear, but everything he said, everything she'd seen seemed to confirm the worst. Hearing noises from the wall behind her, she backed into an opposite corner, as the wall began to shake. The wall was pushed aside, like a door, and a bright light streamed in. Robin's silhouette stood in the doorway.

"Starfire?" Robin, couldn't see anything in the room but the stains on the wall.

"Robin?" Starfire got up and ran to the doorway, she had been visibly weakened by her time in this place, she could hardly move, "Robin! You are alive!"

Their eyes met. Robin felt all his fears leave him, he had no reason to worry anymore. Just as Starfire reached the door, the floor lit up like a light, she stopped and looked down, "What is--" Starfire screamed, her eyes lit up green, as energy seemed to be pulled from her body, into the floor. Robin looked on in horror, "Starfire!" he called as he ran to her. He quickly embraced her, the energy cut at his skin like razor blades, he tried to pull her away, but she wouldn't move.

"Starfire! Hold on!" He yelled, as she continued to scream.

The other Titans could only stand and watch, as the room erupted in smoke and the floor shattered beneath Robin and Starfire. Robin was thrown out of the room and into the hallway, hitting the wall. A maniacal laughter suddenly echoed down the hall. The unmasked Fear began walking toward the Titans, many large wires were attached directly to his back, dragging behind him. He was glowing green, a very strange look adorned his face.

"...I-told you-I would-kill her." his voice was distorted, it sounded much deeper, "I-am IMMORTAL!" he cackled. The Titans assumed fighting stances, unsure of what they could do. Suddenly, Fear grabbed his sides and fell to his knees, "--What-is ha-ppening to-me!" he began shaking violently.

Robin strained to get up, as he did, he held his arm around his stomach, his eyes barely open, "That disease, it's a virus isn't it?"

"W-h-a-t?" Fear asked unable to control his convulsions.

"By using the Lazarus water, you made the virus stronger. You're not immortal, you only succeeded in bringing your own death closer." Robin said.

"N-N-N-N-N-O-O-O-O-O-O-O!" Fear's shaking became even more erratic, he brought his arms up in front of him, they were quickly being blown away bit by bit, like sand in the wind. He continued to scream until his entire body was gone, the wires that were connected to him were severed and released sparks on the floor. The Titans turned to Robin.

"You okay man?" Cyborg asked.

Robin snapped out of his daze, "Starfire!" Robin rushed into the room, stepping on the broken glass. Robin looked down at his feet, there he saw Starfire's body. He knelt down and cradled her in his arms. Starfire strained her eyes and looked back up at him, "Robin... You are unharmed?" she asked. The Titans watched from the hallway with sad eyes.

"Starfire..." Robin trailed off, even in this state, she was so selfless.

"He told me you were... gone." Starfire coughed, "But I did not believe him... I... knew you would..." she coughed again.

"Star, don't talk, you're--"

"Robin... what was it, that you wished to tell me before?" she asked, her voice cracking.

Robin sighed, it pained him to see her this way, she was hurt badly, the glass from the floor had cut her skin, he decided to answer her, "There's something my father once told me... he told me, love is weakness. I used to think that was true. But when Fear took you away, I fought back the pain I was feeling, just to see you again, I never gave up hope that you were still alive, it was then I learned... love is strength. You gave me the strength to press on, to keep fighting... I love you Starfire... Please don't die... I love you." as he spoke, tears began to well up in his eyes.

Starfire put a hand on Robin's cheek, she seemed to be staring off at nothing, "I love you..." she said. Starfire fell silent.

"Starfire?" Robin shook her, but she didn't move, "Starfire!" he called, pulling her closer, his tears began to fall on her face. But she could neither hear his shouts nor feel the tears that fell on her. She was too far gone.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Wait! Waaait! Waaaaaaaaait! Keep Reading! It's not over yet!

But, review first, please.

**Next Chapter Preview:** The Titans return home. Will things ever be the same again? The conclusion in Chapter 10: Epilogue.


	10. Epilogue

My Strength, and Greatest Weakness

by Blue Ten

Summary:

Jump City has been quiet on the crime front for the past few months and the Titan's are starting to get restless. Starfire tries her best to raise the Titan's spirits, even after Slade meets a rather pointless death. A night at the fair brings Robin and Starfire closer than ever. But when a man calling himself Fear shows up, things start to go horribly wrong. RobinxStarfire.

Disclaimer:

I do not own Teen Titans.

* * *

Chapter 10: Epilogue

The clouds were gone from the atmosphere, the moon had set on the night, and the sky slowly faded from black to dark blue. The stars that dotted the sky would disappear soon, making way for the sun to rise. It was his first night back at the tower, and Robin couldn't sleep. After all that had happened, he wondered if things would ever be the same again, how could they be? Robin looked around the room, the early morning sun, not yet risen, began to cast its soft blue light through the window.

Robin removed the covers from himself, stepping out of his bed. He wouldn't let what had happened deter him from his morning ritual. He stepped out in the hallway, looking around to make sure no one was awake. He passed the other Titans' rooms quietly, trying his hardest not to disturb their sleep, he made his way to the stairwell. The morning was so quiet, save for Beastboy's snoring, which could be heard resonating throughout the tower at night. Robin opened the door to the roof and was met with a chilly burst of wind from the outside. Looking to the sky he saw it had shifted from blue, to a beautiful orange-red. Robin stepped to the edge of the tower, facing east, he watched as the ocean began to light up, the diamonds danced and moved about as they had every morning. The sun finally rose above the ocean, immediately casting its warm light on Robin's face. His eyes began to hurt, as he thought of the events that had passed, he tried to hold them back, but the tears began to roll down his face, hot and warm. He hated crying, he had tried all his life to avoid it, but now, he couldn't help it... Starfire was alive, and the joy was overwhelming, after all she had been through, after everything, she fought to live. Perhaps she had found her strength as well.

- - - flashback - - -

"Starfire?" Robin shook her, but she didn't move, "Starfire!" he called, pulling her closer, his tears began to fall on her face. But she could neither hear his shouts nor feel the tears that fell on her. She was too far gone.

"Star--" Robin stopped as Cyborg and the others walked over to them. Cyborg placed a hand on Starfire's neck.

"She's alive, just passed out, lost a lot of energy. If it weren't for you jumping in there like that, she might have... With all she's been through, I'm surprised she was able to speak at all. A little rest and she should be back to normal." Cyborg said, reassuring Robin, "Come on, let's head back to the tower, you both need some sleep."

Robin picked up Starfire in his arms, holding her close, as he followed the others out. He couldn't help but smile, knowing now that she would be fine, in the morning, she would wake up, as if from a bad dream. Robin realized that he had let his heart spill out in front of everyone, he wondered if they would ever let him live it down, he wondered if he really cared what they thought. They reached the exit to the facility, when the door opened, the fresh air poured in, everyone breathed in deeply. Robin's eyes began to water, but it wasn't from the wind.

After being treated for her wounds, Robin set Starfire down on her bed, "Sweet dreams." he said, as he shut off the light, and closed the door.

- - - end flashback - - -

"Robin?" Starfire called, sitting up in her bed. She scanned around her, the room was clean, everything was back in its place, she wondered if it had all been a dream. Looking behind her, she noticed that her head had been resting on the pillows, realizing then, that she had not placed herself on the bed. Still a little weak, she stood up and shakily walked to her door, looking out in the hall, she heard the door to the roof close. Knowing who it was, she decided to make her way up the stairs.

- - - - - -

The sun had barely moved from its position in the sky, still reflecting its brilliance brightly off the surface of the sea, a warm wind had begun to gust. The sky was an intense painting of vivid colors, and the clouds were set on fire by the rising sun, moving slowly westward by the gentle summer breeze. Standing alone on the rooftop, Robin took it all in; the sky, the sea, the sun, he had never been in such a state of peace. All the beauty of this serene moment brought Starfire to his thoughts once again. He couldn't wait to see her, however, with all she had been through, he knew it would be a while before she could wake up. To pass the time, he watched the waves wash up against the shore, listening closely to the tranquil sounds of the rushing water, the sparkling lights had found their way to the island. It was this morning, more than any other, that truly signified the promise of a new day. Robin stood up and breathed in deeply, the ocean air was refreshing, he let out his breath, deciding finally, it was time to head back downstairs. It was at this moment, Robin felt someone embrace him from behind.

"I did not stop fighting either." Starfire whispered in Robin's ear.

Robin turned to her, they shared the same smile. He wanted to say something, but words couldn't describe how he felt at this moment, he could only look deeply into her beautiful emerald eyes as they reflected the diamonds from the sparkling ocean. They continued to gaze at each other, not realizing it, as their faces slowly moved closer. Starfire closed her eyes and Robin followed suit, they embraced each other closely, and met with a kiss. The morning progressed, neither wanted to let go of this instant, this space in time that felt so much like a dream, a dream they didn't want to wake from. As they separated, they looked at each other, both were blushing immensely. Smiling shyly, they continued to hold on to each other tightly, now resting their faces side by side. With no distance between the two, their arms wrapped firmly around each other, Robin could feel that Starfire's heart was beating as fast as his. He realized now that things would never go back to the way they used to be, and he was glad.

"I love you." they said in unison.

However, some things never change. Robin looked in front of him to see the other Titans standing outside the door, Beastboy and Cyborg's faces were plastered with huge grins, Raven smirked.

- - - - - -

The main room of the tower, would soon be populated again. The dust that had settled while the Titans were away, before long, would disappear, while they slowly moved back into their usual routines, making up for lost time.

That morning, the Titans enjoyed their first breakfast after the ordeal. Robin and Starfire sat closely at the kitchen table. Cyborg and Beastboy assumed their usual positions, in the food war. Raven, enjoyed the way things had settled down. They began to talk about everything that had happened, Robin explained who the man behind the mask was, and what his reasons were. Starfire talked about her time in Fear's compound, how he had tried to convince her of Robin, and the other Titan's deaths. Everything had happened so fast, it hardly seemed like it happened at all.

"So how did you make it out of BIO-GEN without anyone noticing." Cyborg asked Robin.

"I didn't. Let's just say Red X might not be too happy the next time we see him." the Titans all laughed together at Robin's comment.

The Titans continued to share laughs and smiles, as they reminisced about old times. Eventually the subject of battles they had fought before came up, and they wondered if Fear had put their enemies out of commission for good. But that was something to worry about for another day, for now they would just enjoy their time together, gaining new resolve from each other.

Starfire, realizing she hadn't taken a bath in days, quickly excused herself, and flew to her room.

"Robin? Where did this dent come from?" She called from her room, looking confused at the dent in her wall. The Titans stayed quiet for a while, then erupted in laughter. Robin slumped down in his chair, hiding his head between his shoulders, chuckling nervously.

- - - - - -

Over the next few weeks, one by one, the Titans' old foes began to resurface, with new plans and greater determination. The sounding of the alarm soon became common place again. And before long, things had returned to the state of 'normality' the Titans had almost forgotten. Another day passed by, another crime foiled. Although things had gone back to normal, Robin and Starfire remained forever changed by their experience, as their love grew stronger with each passing day, they continued to draw strength from weakness.

- THE END -

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**Author's Note: **See, nothing to worry about. Aren't you glad you didn't shun me after Chapter 9's cliffhanger? Thank you all for your reviews, this fic wouldn't have gotten very far without you. This chapter was short, but it was an epilogue, they're usually short anyway.

So, what did you think? Would you approve of me writing another Titans fic?

**Next Fanfiction Preview:** Sorry, not much to say about my next fic without giving too much away, it is another Teen Titans fic though. It's in the planning stages, should be up in maybe 2 months.


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